U.S. Soybean Country’s Curious New Customer

China isn’t buying many American soybeans anymore. But at least there’s Iran.

As rising trade tensions have pummeled Sino-U.S. agricultural trade—and the Trump administration’s sanctions on the Islamic Republic come into force—a curious pattern has emerged. China, in previous years by far the largest customer for American soybeans, has radically scaled back purchases. It bought just $24 million worth in September, down from $1.1 billion in September 2017.